Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Salsa – (this makes a HUGE amount, you may want to cut it in half or plan to make Mexican rice with it. You can keep this in the refrigerator for a week. In time you will learn what you like more or less of and if you like it mild, or hot.

HINT: After making this you can put it in a food processor and the flavor and consistency is completely different once processed.

You'll Need

8 roman tomatoes

8 regular tomatoes
(medium size)

1 bundle cilantro

1 medium red onion

2 cloves garlic

5 stalks celery

1 cup jarred jalapeno
peppers chopped

1 can green chilies
chopped

1-2 fresh serrano
peppers chopped

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp black pepper

Chop all of the ingredients and mix well. This gets better as it sits. The longer it sits the hotter it will become. Adjust to your taste.

Next, heat 1/2 Tablespoon of olive
oil in a sauce pan on medium-low heat. Once heated add garlic and a pinch of
crushed red pepper. Saute until fragrant, add tomato sauce and reduce to
simmer. Simmer for approximately 10 minutes. Add parsley and mix well. Remove
from heat.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet (place
enough oil to cover bottom of pan. Add the eggplant and on medium heat cook
eggplant on both sides until tender. Continue to cook all of the eggplant and add
more oil to skillet as needed.

In the same pan, add more olive
oil and sauté zucchini, mushrooms and onion. Sauté until vegetables become
slightly softened. Add Italian seasonings, salt and additional crushed red
pepper if you would like.

Coat the bottom of a 8x8 baking dish
with olive oil. Then, place a layer of eggplant (half of the amount), followed by a
thin layer of sauce, then add the veggies mixture and another thin layer of
sauce. Top with the rest of the eggplant and cover with sauce. Note: Depending
on how thin you cut the eggplant you might need to overlap layers. If you
end up with extra sauce that is ok, you can save it to serve with the dish.

Cover dish and bake at 350 F for 30
minutes.

Garnish with fresh parsley, basil or oregano.

Tips

You can add a grated cheese between layers to this dish if you would like.

Serve with a nice piece of garlic bread.

This is a great dish to cook in stages. Chop the zucchini, onions and mushrooms after dinner or before you go to work. Then when you get home this portion of the dinner is already done.

Monday, August 3, 2015

This month we will work towards preventing cancers. Make fruits and veggies the basis of your diet. This broccoli dish can complement a variety of main dishes. Try it with some fish or chicken.

You'll Need

2 pound fresh broccoli,
chopped

3 garlic cloves peeled
and thinly sliced

1/8 cup extra virgin olive
oil

3/4 teaspoons kosher
salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly
ground black pepper

1 Tablespoon freshly
squeezed lemon juice

2 Tablespoons pine
nuts, toasted

2 1/2 Tablespoons freshly grated
Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to
425 degrees F.

Place the broccoli
florets on a baking sheet large enough to hold them in a single
layer. Toss the broccoli with garlic and 1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle
with the salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp and tender
and the tips of some of the florets are browned.

Remove the broccoli from
the oven and immediately toss with the other ½ Tablespoon olive oil, lemon
juice, pine nuts, and Parmesan. Adjust salt and pepper as needed.